Playcentre

If you get a good Playcentre I would have thought it would be an ideal situation for him. If he doesn't want to play no one will force him, but it is a good way for him to play with you still with him. Neither of my kids are shy, but I have seen plenty who are - they can thrive at Playcentre, because mum is there so they know they are safe.

Go for it, you get 3 free visits to check it out and I would think you would have a good feel for the centre and the other parents by then.

HTH

Although my DD isnt shy she is clingy.

We started playcentre around 16 months & DD loved it. She also loved having older kids playing with her too. She would copy them etc.

It wasnt until around 2 years that she started going off to play on her own. Before that id always have to be with her, or she would just follow me around etc.

Now at 2.5 years she just runs around doing what she wants. She still has the odd clingy day but knows im always just there anyway. Thats what i love about PC. Also now after being at our centre so long she knows all the mums and feels comfortable with most of them too. We do go twice a week now.

You will get 3 sessions before having to commit to PC. So i recommend going for those and see how you like it. Ring them first to find suitable days. So PC do sessions for older children only etc...

I went to playcentre and I didn't like it.. could have been the people on the day I went but felt that it was more suited to more alternative type people..(again that could have been the people who were there on the day). There is no harm in going and see if he likes it or not as everyone says you do get 3 free visits.

I absolutely love Playcentre. McKayla started at about 20 months and Andrew at 2 days old. It is child led in the way your child gets to choose the activities.

In the beginning your child might be clingy with you but soon they will feel comfortable and willing to play next to the other kids and moms. And before you know it he will be off and right into it with the other kids and moms.

It does get quite involved as it is a co op, which means parents run the centre and you will have to help out with clean ups and meetings etc. But really I wont give it up for anything in the world. McKayla got so so much out of it and Andrew is loving every second of it as well.

My kids have loved PC - DS was just over 2 and DD was 2 months when we started. DS was not incredibly independant for the first term or two (despite being a daycare kid!) so poor DD got left to her own devices quite a bit at first (in capsule, on the floor with the bubbas, asleep in the cots) but she has basically grown up there so its like a second home to her. they are both off doing their own thing 90% of the time now (even though DS had 6 months off with it clashing with kindy, he went back like he'd not had a week off). He loved that I stayed when we started, cos he was used to daycare.

I found the downside was they tend to struggle to hold out til the end if they're used to napping by lunchtime (or like DD, dropped her morning nap at 9.5months on PC day!) so its pretty exhausting for littles ones under about 2.5yrs. DS used to sleep for at least 3hrs when we got home! And DD slept in the swing / highchair quite a few times while we were cleaning!

And personally all the "extra" time required for meetings / courses / fundraising / cleanups / association things - and that was with me not doing a "job" --- and the pressure to do a "job", has been too much so we are leaving now (I work 3days a week so don't have heaps of free time). But if you have heaps of time to commit to it, its great!

Sorry to threadjack but for those of you who already use playcentre, how much time outside of the sessns do you spend on meetings etc ?

Our meetings take an hour or two, sometimes we just do them on session though, and I think they are once a month, and quite informal. It seems to be the same people that turn up to these each time, not everyone, which is the same for most things I guess. I don't think there is a big time commitment unless you start completing the playcentre education courses. The time invested in those is well worth it though for what you gain out of it as a parent. We don't do fundraising, we have a cleaner so we only put things away rather then having to clean the PC each time.

I think that what you put into PC is what you get out, and it is so worth it for your kids.

Nikki- which PC is it that let's you do. One day? All the ones I have contacted in west Auckland, say 2. Thanks

I thought about PC for about a minute then decided Clodagh was (and still is just IMO) too young...and that with another baby I simply couldn't find time to do my bit there in return. As someone pointed out, you get out what you put in and I'd only do it if I could put in 100% iykwim?
Also (and prepares to duck), I think generally speaking, kids learn better at home first and foremost until they're a bit older. That is a MASS generalisation and obviously not trying to piss off anyone here who goes to PC and enjoys it I'm already a little concerned that DD might be too young when she starts Montessori at the age of 3 so perhaps I'm just a little old fashioned lol

chickadeedoo wrote: I went to playcentre and I didn't like it.. could have been the people on the day I went but felt that it was more suited to more alternative type people..(again that could have been the people who were there on the day).

Lol - maybe its being in West Auckland I haven't found this at all, I'm the only one in my SPACE group bf and attempting blw. I'm not alternative at all.